Donald, Goofy, and Sora head into the next room. Goofy pauses, thinking about something, and Sora and Donald turn to look at him.
Sora shifted slightly, gazing at himself onscreen, and Riku paused, looking down at him.
"Sora?" He asked quietly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to it. "Are you okay?" Sora bit his lip, rolling his teeth over it, before leaning backwards slightly into Riku's arms.
"I'm okay," he replied, blowing out a slow breath. He shouldn't be worrying about this, it was over now, he had most of his memories back. He is fine now. So why won't his brain leave it alone?
Donald asks what's the matter and Goofy says that it's about the creepy castle he was talking about earlier and that he knows he didn't imagine it. Sora and Donald give each other a look.
Naminé looked down at her hands, pressing her nails into her palms, and doing her best to control her breathing. She had done this, she had twisted their memories, pulling thoughts from Donald and Goofy, changing Sora's. She had done this; she had hurt all of them and for what? Because she selfishly wanted to be saved by someone who had no obligation to save her? Because she didn't want to be hurt? She had hurt someone else instead, so how was she any better than Larxene?
Goofy says that the castle was where Sora used the shadow Keyblade to free Kairi's heart.
Several glares and pointed looks were sent Sora's way, with the boy wincing slightly. He remembered the yelling that had occurred when most of them had first seen it, only stopped when they realized that Aqua had shut down. Riku's hand, where it was on Sora's arm, supporting him as the younger boy leaned on him, tightened slightly, trying not to let the memories flash in front of his eyes. He saw them enough in his nightmares, thank you.
Goofy says that he then disappeared and that he was so worried. Goofy asks how he could ever forget that, and Sora remembers that it's where he became a Heartless.
Kairi and a few others winced at that. They didn't like remembering.
"And me, thank you very much!" Roxas drawled, leaning into Axel's side and giving them a side look. "Don't forget about me." He attempted to copy Axel's movements from times prior. Hopefully it might alleviate some of the tension that he could sense falling around the room.
"How could we ever?" Vanitas asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes, and Roxas simply huffed at him, glad that both Axel and Xion were in between him and the other boy. Or something not productive would probably happen.
Sora smiled at his Nobody. "Of course," he responded placatingly. "You were created at the same time."
"Acting like a zombie," Axel muttered with a smirk and Roxas elbowed in him the side, a frequent action that Roxas had been taking.
Sora questions that it happened in a castle and Donald asks if he really doesn't remember and that he remembers perfectly. Sora asks what the castle was called then and Donald pauses, unable to answer.
Mickey smiled gently at the images of his friends. Even with their memories changing, they were still themselves, for good and for bad. He was glad that they remained mostly the same, he knew Sora needed it.
Donald asks Jiminy for help, asking if it was in his journal. Jiminy says that he finished the first volume right before they arrived and opens it, only to be shocked to find it blank.
"What?" Sora asked in shock, sitting up and staring at the screen. "How can the pages be blank? The Castle doesn't affect things we bring in, right?" He directed his question at Aqua, who grimaced.
"I don't know," she admitted, hating the words that came out of her mouth. She should know, there was no reason why she shouldn't know. "I'm pretty sure it only affects the room around you."
"Then how?" Kairi wondered and Naminé looked up, gaze turning toward her Somebody and her friends.
"It was Marluxia," she said quietly, playing with the hem of her dress and not daring to meet their eyes. "He used a very small portal to steal it from you and replace it with a copy. He had done it as a precaution, just in case you decided to try and figure out your memories before it was deep enough that he wouldn't have to."
"'Wouldn't have to'?" Ven questioned. "Why wouldn't he have to after a while?"
Naminé flinched, biting her lip hard enough that it bled and trying not to think about the Lucky Charm given to Sora that she allowed to be changed because she couldn't, she just wouldn't do it to the actual thing. And the Organization members had already been under the impression that it was Kairi whom she was replacing in Sora's memories, so none of them questioned her.
"Naminé?" Terra prompted after a second and Naminé sighed. She couldn't, she wouldn't she hadn't wanted to-
"If your memories were changed enough, and they would be, you could look at certain things…" Naminé trailed off for a second, breathing picking up slightly. Because she had, she had changed, she had twisted, she had messed with True Memories and then messed with more because she hadn't been able to go with it fully and she was a terrible person and- "And see others. See what your memories tell you should be there…" Had the room always been spinning? "Even if it's actually something else."
"And this happened?" Sora questioned, panic nearly bursting through his voice, only held back by his sheer willpower. Unconsciously, his hand drifted up to the necklace he wore. Had his necklace been changed? Had his link to Riku been pulled away, taken from his mind? He couldn't deal with that, that couldn't have happened, not when he was already missing Riku, and this was the last thing he had of him.
"Sora?" Riku asked, seeing the panic that was building up in his friend's eyes and Sora turned to him, worry shooting through him. That hadn't happened, that hadn't happened.
"Yes," Naminé said, she felt clammy and she could hear Larxene's laughter behind her and Sora was going to hate her and no one was going to help her and she was a terrible person because she had hurt Sora and Kairi and Riku and Riku Replica and Donald and Goofy and-
She couldn't breathe.
Vanitas sat up sharply, arm slipping off the side of his chair as Naminé's hands went up to her hair, tugging on it. Her eyes had turned glassy, and no one was noticing because they had been distracted by Riku's worry over Sora and he had to say something, no you don't, and why was no one doing anything, Naminé was struggling. The Unversed rolled under his skin and he couldn't even dedicate a second to wonder why there was protectiveness in their minds because there had never been protectiveness not for him and he would figure it out later, but he opened his mouth-
Someone else got there first.
Axel shoved himself up from the couch he had been lounging on, drawing noises of shock from Xion and Roxas. He had been keeping an eye on Naminé just like he had promised himself and he, while taken aback a little, wasn't too shocked that this was happening. It was obvious that Naminé was only just barely holding onto herself, the guilt and self-hatred that Axel knew she had been hiding under her skin, took one to know one, finally starting to appear after she was forced to see what she had done again.
The attention of the room fell on him as he crossed to Naminé's chair, kneeling down in front of it, and Terra let out a quiet, bit off curse as he realized what had happened, and Aqua rose from her spot, ready to help if necessary.
But Naminé looked up at Axel, still reeling, still hyperventilating, and she could only see the man that hadn't ever truly hurt her, that was motivated by his love for Roxas to see this through, was motivated by his love for Isa to try and obey Saix's commands, had let her go and try and fix everything she had done, had nothing but beautiful, warm True Memories that she had touched once or twice when it had gotten bad and she had nothing left in her own mind but misery and despair. While she doubted that he ever knew what she had done, his heart and mind had never thrown her out, had allowed her to hide in those memories, allowed her to bury herself in the love and care and warmth that was Axel, that had been Lea, allowed her sanctuary when she had none.
She looked up at Axel, who was so clearly worried about her that the thoughts in the back of her head wondered if he truly didn't have a heart before she uncurled her legs and threw herself at him, hiding her face in his shoulder and allowed the tears to fall.
Axel fell backwards slightly in an effort to catch her but steadied almost instantly, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Her shaky breaths, so obviously a panic attack, how hadn't they seen it start, were muffled into his shoulder and she clung back just as tightly, choking and sobbing and no doubt remembering Larxene and Marluxia.
"Naminé?" Kairi's voice rose in her panic, worry for her Nobody clear in her voice, but Naminé didn't respond, still locked in her panic attack.
"Easy, easy," Axel murmured, allowing the memories of soothing 'Ri from her nightmares and fears following their parents' disappearance and probable murder rushing to the forefront of his mind and for a second, he almost felt fifteen again because Naminé looked so similar to how he imagined 'Ri would have looked if she had lived to be Naminé's age, besides the hair, that it was almost scary. "Easy, it's okay. You're here, with us. You're not in Castle Oblivion, Larxene isn't here, and no one's going to be mad at you for what they forced you to do."
"I did it, I hurt them, I changed their memories, I'm a terrible person," Naminé whispered out in between heaving breaths and Axel shook his head as gently as possible as he pushed her back softly, helping her to stand on her own feet in front of him so he could look her in the eyes.
On their couch, the Destiny Islands kids looked stricken, Sora's eyes wide as he gazed at Naminé while Kairi had a hand clapped to her mouth. Roxas and Xion looked similarly wounded, worry for the girl they clearly considered a friend written all across their faces. Aqua hadn't sat back down, staring at Naminé in shock and worry while Ven and Terra looked on, their expressions matching hers. The King looked like he wanted to stand up from the chair he was sitting in, but due to the fact that he was sitting right next to Naminé, he didn't, instead watching her carefully. Strangely, when Axel had looked over at Roxas and Xion, for a second, he could have sworn that Vanitas looked worried as well, face pale and eyes wide. But when he looked back, he had returned to his careful blankness so Axel couldn't tell if he had imagined it.
"You're not a terrible person, you're okay," Axel told her, smiling at her and rubbing circles into her back as he helped her stand in front of her, still kneeling in front of her. She had been loomed over while in distress enough, from Marluxia, Larxene, and DiZ. "Can you hold your breath for me? Just for a couple of seconds?"
She stuttered, wanting to follow his instructions, but her brain was a constant stream of I messed up, I'm terrible, I did this, how dare I need help now, so she wasn't really able to do what was requested of her.
A second hand landed on her shoulder, and she jumped slightly, face turning to see Mickey gazing at her gently. "It's okay, Naminé," the King said. "No one here is mad at you. For anything. But do you think you can do what Axel asked?" The shock of the King addressing her had pulled her out of the spiral for the quickest second and the most conscious part of her brain pounced on that opportunity, trying to wrangle her body back into calmness. She had been able to maintain a soft, complacent, unbothered façade before when in Castle Oblivion, why couldn't she grasp it now?
She took in a deep breath, attempting to hold it for a couple of seconds before Axel's face dropped a little in relief and she took that as a sign to let out her breath. His hand didn't leave her back, neither did Mickey's on her shoulder, and the room around them was deathly silent, just like when Riku'd had his panic attack. They were stuck in the same limbo that she had been in then, of wanting to help but knowing that if they all attempted to crowd her, it would do nothing good.
She managed to keep up with the deep breaths with Axel's gentle coaxing and the room slowly felt less oppressing, less like she was going to collapse to the ground, boneless.
"Better, better, good," Axel comforted, relieved by the sight of Naminé following his advice. Her hands stopped shaking and her face became less pale as air started circulating through her easier and the second it was clear that she was mostly fine, he removed the hand from her back and instead opened his arms in an invitation of another hug. She took it instantly and he held her again.
"Is she okay?" Sora asked after a second, unable to truly see Naminé due to Axel being in the way, and Axel looked over, seeing his hands on a death grip around Riku's arm, no doubt remembering the panic attack the older boy had gone through upon the appearance of Maleficent. At this point, everyone knew what it was had just happened. There was no confusion like before, not with Riku's two attacks that had happened the day prior.
Was it even the day prior? How were they counting time in this place? He brushed away the errant thoughts with a single mental flick.
"She'll be okay," he answered, feeling a few quieter shudders from the young girl, and he simply held her tighter. She's not 'Ri and I'm not Lea, he thought. But it's pretty damn close.
"I didn't mean to… provoke her," Sora said haltingly, like he didn't know how to describe what he had done, and Axel wasn't the only one to shake his head.
"It's not your fault," Aqua told the young Keyblade Wielder, settling back down next to Ven. "You didn't cause anything. I have a feeling… This was always going to happen." Axel looked over to Riku, who didn't look as surprised as the others. Shaken yes, but not shocked. They had both been able to see this coming.
He took a deep breath, looking down at the girl in his arms, before coming to a decision. He looked over to Roxas and Xion, silently asking them, and they both nodded. They cared about Naminé as well. Naminé had fulfilled Xion's last wish as best she could and Naminé had been there as a comforting presence to Roxas during his last days.
He gently picked up the young girl, knowing for a fact that she wasn't supposed to be that light, and moved back to his couch, both Xion and Roxas scooting to the edges of the couch a little to make more room. He settled her against his side, in between him and Xion and allowed her to lean on his side, pressing her face into his coat so she didn't have to see the world.
"I think…" Terra started, giving the young girl a gentle look. "We can leave the questions for later." He shot a glance at the Destiny Kids, like they were going to argue, but none of them looked up for that. "They'll probably be answered anyways."
Sora nodded shakily. Whatever questions he had could be answered later. It was clear, devastatingly clear, that whatever Naminé had gone through in the castle had hurt her badly. Did I see anything? Sora wondered, hating not for the first time his gap in his memories. Did I save her? I better have saved her.
Donald asks how the journal could have become blank and Jiminy says that he's always really careful with his journal. He laments that all the work is gone.
"I think that was the question that started this…" Ven said quietly, shooting a glance at Naminé who was clearly not paying attention. "But what happened?"
"It was Marluxia," Axel answered. "He stole the journal, replaced it with a fake, blank one." There were nods all around.
Axel blinked in surprise, before looking back down at Naminé. Speaking of journals… Why hadn't they asked before?
"Room?" He asked, causing glances of confusion to be sent at him from the other watchers. "Could we get a sketchbook? And colored pencils?" Riku blinked in recognition, before looking like he wanted to hit himself for not realizing it sooner. Of course, Naminé would have been better with her sketchbook. He was an idiot.
Axel grasped the things as they appeared and Naminé's face removed itself from Axel's coat to gaze at the newly appeared objects. She took it carefully, hugging the sketchbook to her chest for a second before reaching out and taking the colored pencils, balancing them in her lap. She flipped the sketchbook open to the first page, leaning on Axel's side, and immediately was drawn into it, able to drown out all the reminders in the first color she pressed onto the page.
Axel gave her a gentle smile, glad that she no longer had to listen and watch if it was going to send her into another panic attack.
Sora looks around at the room around them, wondering what was going on. The scene changed to a girl in a white dress sketching on a sketchbook.
All of them were hit by how eerily similar the scene they were watching looked to the current one happening next to Axel, but none of them said anything. If that was going to help Naminé, none of them were going to say anything. She had been through enough.
Unseen by all, Vanitas finally relaxed back into his chair as Naminé did, feeling the Unversed settle back inside his chest. He turned his gaze inward, trying to decipher what had just happened. They were remnants of his emotions, pieces of him. So why would they have been feeling protective unless…?
Impossible. He refused.
NO, he was not getting attached to any of the Light-Wielders. Not at all. It would only hurt them in the long run, with them being close to a darkness wielder while he would get betrayed, again, once they decided to kill him once they were able to discover where his soul had been pulled from. He wasn't any better than Master Xehanort, so why would they let him live? Even his 'brother', steeped in light that he was, would know, more than most, how dangerous he was to leave alive.
He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Of course, the last hours of his life were going to be spent watching the Light Bearers go and save the day. Over and over again. Was this his punishment for following Master Xehanort?
As Sora, Donald, and Goofy walk through the white room, Donald says that something is screwy and that journal pages don't just disappear. Sora stops and wonders if it's more things than just the journal, saying that Goofy had told them about a castle that they had all been to but that none of them remember it.
Sora leaned deeper into Riku's side, trying to repress his shiver. So, even while he was losing his memories, he was thinking about the same thing as watching Sora was. What if they forgot more? What if he forgot Kairi, forgot Riku? He couldn't, he couldn't go through that. Not when, for the past him, his memories were really the only thing he had of them. Besides the Lucky Charm and his necklace.
Sora asks if it could be that they're losing their memories.
Vanitas got the urge to say something very uncomplimentary, but he shot another look at Naminé. The tension in the air hadn't really gone away, so he bit his tongue and said nothing. He had a feeling Aqua might actually kill him then, missing Keyblade be damned.
Sora couldn't suppress the shiver this time, and Riku twisted to look at him, the action drawing Kairi's attention as well. "I don't want to lose my memories," he whispered out, the sound have the same affect as if he had been shouting the words, with everyone able to hear. "I don't want to lose you two."
"You won't," Kairi replied, reaching out to take one of Sora's hands. "We're here now and we're not leaving. And no one can take your memories again. We'll stop them." He tried to smile at her, hearing Goofy's and Donald's words in the back of his mind. This ship runs on happy faces.
Ven looked down at his hands. The first ten years of his life were still a blank pit, that would suck him in if he reached too deeply. Had he had a moment like Sora's? Had he realized that he was losing his memories? Had he even lost them like Sora? Or was it an injury? A sickness? Had someone done it to him, or had he done it to himself?
The questions spun in his head, and he looked over at Naminé. He wondered… If maybe, once they were all out of here and Naminé got a body, maybe she could help him get his memories back. If that was even possible.
Donald questions him and Jiminy asks if they remember what the cloaked man said, reciting the 'find to lose' line. He says he must have been talking about their memories.
Vanitas rolled his eyes. So, one of them has a brain? How shocking. He leaned on his chin on his hand, pointedly not looking at Naminé. Nope, nothing going on. There is no reason to not look over there.
Sora guesses that if they keep going, they'll lose more of their memories and says it really is Castle 'Oblivion'. Donald wonders if that means that everything and everyone will be forgotten.
Sora couldn't go any deeper into Riku's side unless he fully got into Riku's lap, but that didn't mean he didn't wish he could. He instead snatched up one of Riku's hands, an action he was well aware he had been doing often and traced the lines on his palm. It was a good distractor, from what was happening on screen and what he was thinking. I have my memories back now. I'm fine.
Sora realizes that it could mean Riku and Kairi.
"Never, never, never, never," Sora whispered, reaching out to pull Kairi into a hug, the three of them leaning on each other. "I'm not losing either of you. Not again." Kairi smiled at him but her eyes moved up to Riku. They both remembered the year they had, where the thought of Sora fled from their minds. Where Kairi'd had no idea that there was someone else who had played on the beach with her and Riku. Where Riku knew, objectively, that the boy in the pod had been his friend, and he had a few, deeply precious memories that he held onto, but that there had been nothing more than that. Only flashes of blue eyes in his dreams and a laugh that echoed in the wind, only multiplied by Xion and Roxas.
Donald asks Sora if he wants to leave but Goofy interrupts, saying that they might forget places or things they've seen but that they won't forget their friends.
Ven really wasn't liking the way that watching this was making him feel. Or the things it made him think about.
Did I have friends? Did I have siblings? Or parents? He shifted slightly, pressing the palms of his hands together. Did they lose their memories too and are out there in the worlds? Or did they die? Or are they alive? He blinked slowly. Do they miss me?
Naminé's pencil skittered against the paper for a second as her breath caught, but she refused to look up.
Goofy asks Sora if when he was a Heartless he forgot him and Donald and Sora says of course he didn't. Goofy says then whatever happens he won't forget his friends.
Sora's hand paused in its tracing. Had there been a time when… he did forget about his friends? Had that happened?
He didn't know what he would do if it did.
Sora says Goofy's right and thanks him. Donald says then if there's nothing that can make him forget his friends, then there's nothing to be scared of, and says they should go.
Yeah, Sora thought, finally managing to sit up. I couldn't forget them. Not ever. Nothing could make me lose them.
But he held onto Riku's hand all the same.
Donald starts to walk off, and Sora teases him, asking who it was who took forever to recognize him as a Heartless and kept clobbering him. Donald asks why he couldn't have forgotten about that.
There were several laughs from around the room at that, the tension in the air finally ceasing a little as Sora and Donald fell back into familiar patterns. Mickey laughed quietly, shaking his head. Nope, they wouldn't change at all. Not even as they lost their memories.
Sora chuckled as well, reassured by what was happening onscreen. They didn't seem to be losing too much and what they were hadn't affected them that much. Good. That was good.
Goofy and Sora laugh, and Donald says that if he's still remembering silly stuff, then they'll be okay. Sora walks up to the door and pulls out a card, holding it up to the door before walking in.
"It's the Colosseum," Terra said, recognizing the picture on the card. "Right?"
"I think so," Sora responded, having had to squint his eyes to try and catch what was on the card. "I can't think of what it would be otherwise."
The three of them walk up to the Colosseum before Donald gets distracted by a sign. Jiminy says that it's for some sort of contest, called the "Olympus Colosseum Survival Cup."
Aqua sighed, pressing her clasped hands to her mouth for a second. It's just because of Sora's memories, she told herself, remembering very well what had happened when Sora had visited the real Olympus Colosseum. It's just because of the memories. It couldn't have been anything else. But she had a feeling that Sora was going to try and enter this contest as well. Because that was just who he was.
She sighed again. Places like that should really have an age requirement for participating. No exceptions, even for Keyblade Wielders.
Jiminy says that apparently contestants have to run an obstacle course, battling each other along the way.
Both Aqua and Terra blinked at that, before giving each other teasing looks. That sounded very familiar. Of course, they were both tied in the amounts of wins and losses they'd had over the years. At least, according to Terra, they were tied. Aqua had a… different story.
Jiminy says that the sign also says that the "Great Hercules" will also compete for the cup. Sora says that it sounds fun and says why don't they enter.
"Sora," Riku muttered halfheartedly, and Sora turned, giving him a look.
"What?" He exclaimed. "It sounds fun!"
"It could be dangerous though," Xion cautioned, knowing full well that she was slightly a hypocrite. Well, at least she had never competed in anything. She and Roxas had only gone there to train. Though, that was also slightly dangerous. She couldn't imagine attempting to compete.
She paused, before thinking it over. Maybe she and Roxas should try and compete in something if they ever got their bodies back. It would be… fun?
"Nothing too dangerous," Sora replied and Riku shook his head.
Goofy says he thought Sora would say that and says that whenever there's a contest, Sora's always excited to do it. Donald says that Sora's going to compete even if he and Goofy don't and Sora agrees.
Kairi shook her head, an indulgent smile on her face while Riku sighed.
Donald says they should probably tag along then and Jiminy interrupts them, saying that the board says that only contenders who finished the preliminary course could compete in the main competition.
Well, that's something, Aqua thought with a tilt of her head. At least in this world, there's some sort of system to only let qualified people in. She paused. Sora's going to try anyways, though.
Jiminy says that the preliminary course is just ahead, and Sora asks what they're waiting for and they run off. Hades appears at the sign, looking at it.
Terra made a face, memories flashing in front of his eyes, while Kairi and Roxas groaned. Riku tensed, something Sora felt through Riku's hand, upon which he gave his friend a smile.
"It's okay, Riku," he said. "I can beat him just like I did before." Riku simply shook his head.
Hades is incensed by the description of Hercules and goes on a rant about wanting to kill him. Cloud interrupts, saying that's why he hired him.
While several people rolled their eyes at Hades's antics, Sora was excited by the appearance of Cloud. While he knew it wasn't the real Cloud, he was still glad to see his friend again.
"Hades is going to be a problem," Roxas muttered and got several nods of agreement from the room.
Hades tells Cloud that his job is to beat Hercules in the games and once he does that, to kill him. Hades says to do that and Cloud cuts him off, saying that Hades will restore his lost memories, just like their deal.
Aqua hummed, interested, as several thoughts went through her head. Just like with the situation in Wonderland, while it was the basics of the same things that had happened when Sora went to the real versions of the worlds, the finer details had been changed or messed with to fit more with what was currently happening with Sora. She bit her lip, wondering. Was it Sora making these changes? Or was it something else?
Hades says he will and Cloud walks off. Sora, Donald, and Goofy walk into the Colosseum, where they're met with Phil, who asks them who they are and if they've finished the preliminaries. Sora says they did.
"Oh, we're not seeing it?" Kairi questioned, blinking in confusion.
Sora shrugged. "It's not the first thing to happen 'off screen'," he said, tripping over the words to figure out how to describe what they hadn't seen. "My first meeting with Cid and the time I spent in Merlin's book are gone."
"Merlin's book?" Ven asked.
"Yeah, the book I delivered to him during our second visit to Traverse Town," Sora explained. "There's a world inside it. I spent some time in there, but I suppose the room didn't count it as required to see." He gave the ceiling a look. "Which, fair I suppose. Nothing big happened in it. The people are nice though."
"Huh, a world within a book," Aqua mused. She hadn't known such things were possible.
Sora says they're here for the cup and Phil says they came to the right place, but they're not going to stand a chance against Hercules.
"Sora," Aqua said and Sora winced at her tone. It was the scolding tone that his mothers sometimes got. Riku had also somehow managed to learn how to use it. "Why are you entering the games?"
"Because I want to," he replied. "Plus, I did it before."
"It wasn't great for you to do it before," she snapped back before pausing and taking a deep breath. The last thing she wanted was for Sora to think she was mad at him. He didn't need that. "It's just that you're fourteen and you'd be fighting against grown adults with years of experience. Doesn't it occur to you that it might not be the best idea?"
"Maybe," he admitted. "But it's fun, and I know I can do it."
Aqua didn't say anything else, but simply rubbed at her temples. It's fine, it's fine, there's nothing you can do now, it's done and over with. She bit back another sigh.
Donald says why not, and Phil says that they aren't heroes.
There were several chuckles at his failure to count again.
Sora says that he's wrong and Goofy agrees, saying that it was three words. Sora says that too but how could they prove themselves to be heroes if Phil doesn't give them a chance.
Mickey chuckled at Goofy's remarks.
Hercules enters the room and says that Sora's right and that they cleared the preliminaries, so they should be let into the games.
Don't encourage this, don't encourage this. Aqua's thoughts repeated over and over.
Terra looked over, giving Aqua a half smile. He knew very well what was probably going through her head at the moment. He reached over and squeezed her hand. She blinked at him.
"Sora will be okay," he murmured to her.
Aqua shook her head. "I know," she replied, just as quiet. "It still makes me sick to see." Children shouldn't be fighting their war. While Sora clearly hadn't met Yen Sid yet, he had to have in the future before he came here because he showed no shock at the name. Yet, Sora was still defending and saving the worlds. Hadn't Yen Sid stopped that? Wouldn't he have stopped that?
Phil says he might have a point and Hercules says they could always cancel the games. When Sora asks why, Hercules says that the preliminary course was so hard, no one else finished it.
"Ha," Sora preened, tipping his head backward to give Riku a grin. "See Riku? I'm fine. I'm great! I can take on the games any day."
"Still…" Riku murmured but didn't say anything else.
Unsurprisingly, that hadn't sated Aqua either.
Sora says if Phil lets him compete, they won't have to cancel the games and Phil agrees. He starts to say because it's just them and Hercules but Cloud interrupts, saying that he's in the games too.
"I wonder if he'll recognize you," Xion wondered, tapping one of her fingers to her chin. "Like the others did." Sora frowned, thinking it over.
"Maybe," he eventually settled on.
Phil says now the games will be something to see.
Sora huffed, crossing his arms and pouting slightly. That implies that it wouldn't have been before, he thought crossly. I'm impressive! Just like Hercules! Just like Riku!
Hercules says he's looking forward to this and Sora agrees, saying this will be fun. Phil says to start with a few rules, saying that the first through the course will win, if there is a tie a battle will decide the ruler, and you can interfere with the other opponents.
"Huh, so he doesn't recognize you," Kairi mutters and Sora nods before pausing.
"Wait, why aren't I saying anything?" He asked, sitting up and giving his onscreen self a closer look. "Do I… not recognize him?" Have I forgotten him?
No one said anything in response, the tension sinking back into the room. They had seen the way Sora and the others had forgotten things, but those had been places or events. This was a person, one of Sora's friends. Hadn't Goofy specifically said that they wouldn't forget their friends? It was the only reason they had been so confident when moving to the next floor.
Sora took in a shaky breath and Riku reached out instantly, extracting his hand from Sora's hold and instead wrapping it around the younger boy's shoulders. "It's okay," he murmured. "I'm sure you're just confused. Or haven't said anything. Perhaps you finally learned something and decided not to say anything, after Aerith's warning?" But his wording sounded shaky to his own ears, and he swallowed slightly, simply holding Sora and letting the boy lean on him.
I forgot him, Sora thought, ice rushing through his veins. I forgot him.
Phil starts the race, and they start moving through the course. On one of the in between places, Cloud is waiting for Sora.
"Maybe he does remember you?" Ven asked, but his voice was shaky and uncertain. The fact that Sora had indeed forgotten one of his friends weighed on all of them.
Goofy wonders if he had waited for them to catch up but Donald reminds him that they're allowed to interfere with the other opponents. Sora realizes that he's trying to narrow the field and summons his Keyblade.
Sora winced, seeing himself draw his Keyblade on one of his friends. He wanted to close his eyes, to look away, but he couldn't bring himself to. He needed to see what had happened, what he had forgotten.
Does it get worse? He wondered, reaching up and gripping the arm that Riku had around his shoulders. He needed the comfort. Do I forget anyone else? Do I… forget Riku?
Cloud says that he's not looking for a fight with Sora and that Sora can keep moving. Goofy says that he was waiting for them to catch up and Donald says they should take him up on his offer, with Sora agreeing and putting away the Keyblade.
"Well, at least he's the same Cloud," Kairi remarked, giving Sora a worried look. "He didn't want to hurt you before either."
"Until Hades asked him to," Vanitas said, shooting the three kids a look. "I wonder if that'll happen here as well."
"This world is built out of Sora's memories," Xion mused. "Perhaps they will have to fight."
"Cloud will probably go easy on you then," Kairi said, nudging Sora and giving him a smile. "Just like before. Cause he's your friend."
"Yeah, but I… forgot him," Sora murmured, and Kairi winced. She didn't know what to say to that.
Sora walks past him with the others but turns back and asks if he's sure. Cloud says he's just there for Hercules, not the cup.
"Only you would be given an opportunity like that and ask if the person is sure," Roxas said with an eyeroll and Sora finally managed to muster up enough to smile at his Nobody.
"Hey, it's the nice thing to do."
Cloud says that Hercules will lose more than the competition and Sora realizes what he's saying and asks Cloud why. Cloud says to stay out of it and go win the competition and Sora summons his Keyblade again.
"Of course," Kairi muttered, scooting over to lean on Sora's side slightly. "You would fight dozens of Heartless for someone you just met."
"Of course, I would," Sora replied, leaning back against her. Riku removed his arm from his shoulders, not wanting to get between them. And I would fight even more for you or Riku.
Cloud asks if Sora realizes what he's doing and Sora repeats that they can interfere with their opponents. Sora says that Cloud's not the only one who wants to fight Hercules.
"Still a terrible liar," Riku said with a shake of his head.
"Hey, I bet I meant it!" Sora refuted. "It would be fun to fight Hercules! See how far I've come in the fighting department."
Cloud says that it's his mistake and the four of them fight. After a while, Cloud exits the battle and flees and Sora wonders where he went.
Still going easy on me, Cloud, Sora thought. Or, these are my memories, so he's just fighting me like he did before. The only way I remember.
Jiminy says that he's heading for the finish line, and they should go after him. They do and run the rest of the course, finding Hercules and Cloud fighting at the end of the course, Cloud losing badly.
Despite everything, Aqua couldn't help but be drawn to the courses. They didn't look exactly the same as the ones that she and Terra ran, but they looked similar. Maybe because Castle Oblivion had been the Land of Departure once upon a time?
She frowned a little, looking down at her hands. She missed those days, training with her Keyblade, with Terra and later Ven, and not having to worry about anything. She missed them so badly.
Hercules says to give up and that he can't guarantee Cloud's safety if they continue but Cloud says to worry about himself, and that Hercules seems to be slowing down. Sora runs into the fight on Hercules's side and says that he'll back Hercules up.
"Sora," Riku muttered. Sora shrugged.
Cloud says to get all the backup Hercules wanted but he was finishing this and getting his memories back. Sora is shocked but Hades interrupts, telling Cloud not to intervene.
"And now he's here," Ven said, balancing his chin on one of his hands and gazing at the screen in slight concern. Terra went stiff at the arrival of the god, getting a concerned look from Aqua.
Hades tells Cloud that all he did was wear Hercules down and breaks their deal, much to Cloud's anger. Hades asks if he really thought that he could get his memories back so easily.
At this, both Ven and Vanitas flinched, their minds going back to the blank spot in their minds. Getting their memories back wouldn't be easy, Ven had gone through enough trying to get his memories of before the Land of Departure back, but… they both wanted to try. The missing spot drove them both mad and they had a feeling it wouldn't be going away anytime soon.
Hades tells Cloud to get out of the way and that he'll take care of Hercules himself. The sky changes color as Hades's flames do and Hercules, Sora, and Cloud are thrown backwards by the blast.
"You're going to fight Hades?" Terra asked, worry in his tone and Sora shrugged wordlessly. He assumed they probably would but… It's not like he remembered it.
"Wait, how?" Kairi asked. "You didn't fight Hades before, in the real world. How is that going to work if there's no memories to pull on?"
"It'll be made up," Naminé answered, voice soft, and most of them jumped, having forgotten she was there, allowing her to retreat back into her drawings. The young Nobody didn't look up from her drawing, which was shaping up to be a beautiful recreation of the alley of Twilight Town where she met Roxas, but her voice travelled for all to hear. "The room will probably make it up, based on Sora's unconscious thoughts and perhaps Hercules." She shrugged. "Or so I guess."
"I wonder why this room's different though," Mickey mused. "Wonderland was almost the same but this one…" Privately, a thought crossed his mind. Was it because Sora couldn't remember the Colosseum as much as he could Wonderland? Was he forgetting more than he realized. Mickey looked down. He hadn't mentioned it, but Sora hadn't shown any recognition for Hercules, not like he had for Alice. And even that had been wavering.
Hercules realizes that Hades was behind this from the start and Hades says that while Cloud might have failed, he did tire Hercules out. Sora runs forward to help Hercules, despite Hercules telling him not to, and Sora reminds Hercules that they can't fight one on one if Hercules is in the Underworld.
Honestly, Aqua twisted her hands together. Even when the adults are telling you not to fight, you do anyways. Why?
Hades says that Sora will just go with Hercules then.
Riku and Kairi both stiffened next to Sora. "Guys, this is a memory," Sora said. "I don't know if it's even possible for me to die in there."
"It is," Axel replied, before biting his lip and looking away. Maybe it was stupid of him, but he didn't want Roxas and Xion to see what he did to Vexen. They might hate him. Also, did that count? He and Vexen were both real people, while Hades was a projection of the room…
Hercules and Sora move to fight Hades and Goofy and Donald turn into cards.
"Always during the hardest of fights," Kairi muttered with an eyeroll. She really didn't like the card system, from what she had seen of it.
Hercules and Sora fight with Hades until they defeat him. Hades gives them one last look before fleeing.
Both Riku and Kairi relaxed slightly after the fight was over. Guys, I thought we were past this, Sora thought with a shake of his head. I'm here now, I'm fine.
Phil comes walking out as Sora is helping Hercules and says that the games are cancelled.
"I think that was pretty obvious," Vanitas drawled, but Sora slumped, shoulders dropping. If the games were cancelled, how was he going to prove that he was a hero?
Sora asks why and Phil says because everyone's clearly tired from the fight with Hades. Sora asks about his fight with Hercules, but Hercules tells him that Sora wouldn't want to fight him in the competition and maybe they could fight when he's rested up.
Sora paused, before nodding along with his past self. He supposed that made sense. Everyone had just faced down a god after all.
Jiminy calls over to Sora from where he had been watching the unconscious Cloud and Sora heads over, asking if Cloud's okay. Cloud says he is and apologizes for messing up the games and turns to walk away.
Sora smiled. It was nice to see that Cloud was still acting like himself, despite everything that was happening.
As he walks away, Sora calls after him, wishing him well getting his memories back.
Several people smiled at that, most of them directed at the boy in question. That was just Sora, wishing well to someone who had tried to fight him and kill someone he considered a friend.
Sora says to forget what Hades said and that sometimes the smallest thing can make you remember stuff you forgot years ago. Sora says if it's an important memory, there's no way it's gone forever.
"True Memories," Sora mused, rolling over the word in his mouth. It felt… important. "Right?" He looked over at Naminé, who looked up at him and nodded once before going back to her drawing. Axel gave her a careful look, still worried about her.
Sora offers Cloud that he could come with them.
"Did you… Did you forget that it's a memory world?" Roxas asked, giving his Somebody a look. "He's just a memory, he couldn't come with you if he wanted to."
Sora paused, blinking once in surprise. Roxas was right, none of these people were real. But his past self… he was treating them like they were. Which, true he should have done, that was good, but it seemed to go farther than just treating them with respect. It was almost like, while in the floor proper, he seemed to forget that it was nothing more than a simulation. That none of the were real.
He frowned, biting his lip. Had he really forgotten that it wasn't real? Was that also Naminé's doing? But… for what purpose?
Cloud declines the offer and leaves. Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchange glances before saying goodbye to Hercules and Phil and leaving the Olympus Colosseum through another door.
Sora looked down at his lap, several thoughts swirling in his chest. He was forgetting things, he was forgetting people, that much was obvious now. And he… didn't seem to be realizing it. At least, not in the moment. He shivered slightly.
How much would he forget? How much would he lose?
And why? What had been the point of making him lose his memories?
He didn't know if he wanted the answer.
